Hookah health news from your very own galaxy.
It’s sneaky. In the same way Philip Morris marketed cigarettes equating smoking its brand with the rugged Wild West individualism of the Marlboro Man, it looks like the popularity of the “Star Wars” franchise has — maybe through the law of unintended consequences — helped make hookah smoking the new cool for youngsters and young adults.
At the time of the first “Star Wars” film in 1977, hookah smoking was limited to some enduring hippies and a few Middle Eastern aficionados. But then along came Jabba the Hutt with his always-by-his-side hookah, and the spark was lit.
Here’s how one “Star Wars” super-fan described his early experience with Jabba’s hookah: “When the ‘Return of the Jedi’ action figures came out in 1983, Jabba’s playset included his own little plastic hookah, and I remember going over to play with it at my friend’s house, sticking the end of the hose in the little hole in Jabba’s mouth. Being 4 years old, I had no clue as to what this was ... (But) it was common for Jabba and other Hutts to gather around their huge bulbous narghiles (hookahs) and relax. Is it possible that the Hutts were the originators of the modern hookah parlor? Little did I know I would be in the hookah business 25 years later.” There’s more. In 2005, when Hasbro put out a “Star Wars” action figure for the bounty hunter Dannik, an extra known as the pipesmoking alien in the 1997 film, the company added a hookah on his belt. Obi-Wan Kenobi, the old Jedi Master himself, also sat around a hookah with friends to discuss all things Jedi. By the beginning of 2008, hookahs had made appearances in over 20 different “Star Wars” movies, short stories, novels, comic books and video games.
Over the course of the 10 “Star War” movies, hookahs have played an ever-increasing role. Little wonder that from 2008 to 2014 the number of high school kids who had ever smoked a hookah went from almost 9 percent to 13 percent; middle-schoolers jumped from under 3 percent to 5 percent; estimates of hookah use among college students range from 9.5 percent to 20.4 percent.
Today hookah (narghile, shisha, water-pipe) smoking is a global tobacco epidemic causing world-wide degradation of lung function. Consider these facts:
• Even though cigarette use is declining, partially due to smoke-free workplace laws, consumer awareness and higher taxes, hookah bars that rent water pipes and sell flavored tobacco mixtures are gaining in popularity and remain largely unregulated.
• Many hookah users believe the practice is less harmful than cigarettes, yet according to the American Lung Association, a single daily water-pipe use is the same as smoking 10 cigarettes. Hookah smoking sessions lasting 45-60 minutes are equal to smoking between 40 and 400 cigarettes.
• A new study in the journal Tobacco Control points out that while smoking one cigarette involves around 10 puffs, each delivering about 50 milliliters of smoke, one 45-60 minute hookah session may add up to 100 inhalations, and each one delivers about 500 milliliters of smoke.
• Besides triggering bodywide inflammation, hookah use is associated with the spread of infections such as herpes and HPV from several smokers using a single mouthpiece.
The American Lung Association believes, as do we, that hookah smoking is a growing public health threat and that efforts should be made to restrict its use, especially among teens and young adults: “Hookah smoking … may lead to a resurgence in tobacco use among vulnerable populations. Both the American Lung Association and the World Health Organization recommend that laws or regulations prohibiting cigarette or other tobacco use in public places apply to hookah smoking.”
Q: When my daughter came down with pink eye, I downloaded a local hospital’s app and wow! We got to see a doctor online; he diagnosed her problem and called in a prescription to our pharmacy. So who else is doing this, and what other conditions can I use this for? Holly W., Warrensville Heights, Ohio
A: It’s pretty great, isn’t it? More and more people every day are getting comfortable with telemedicine. Now you can see a doctor in the privacy of your own home on your phone, tablet or laptop. Video consults run from $0 to more than $100, depending on your insurance. Both Dr. Mike’s Cleveland Clinic and Dr. Oz’s New York-Presbyterian Hospital have their own apps, and new programs and applications across the country pop up every day.
You can use telemedicine for non-life threatening illnesses that range from conjunctivitis (pink eye) and respiratory issues to minor cuts and burns or stomach upsets. In fact, Dr. Mike was one of the first to use telemedicine for smoking cessation, diet and exercise.
Another impressive development is happening in Washington state. Veteran suicides happen at a rate of 20 a day, and 14 of those are never seen by the Veteran’s Affairs hospitals. The Cohen Veterans Network of clinics (there are seven around the country providing outpatient mental health care to veterans and military families) soon will offer low- or no-cost telehealth mental health services across Washington state and then in Florida and California — very needed and smart!
Telemedicine also is a huge benefit for folks in rural communities who have a difficult time getting to a doctor or accessing a specialist. Folks can find a telemedicine service by contacting their insurance company (some have their own service) or local medical centers.